Great Yarlside

Tucked away in the quietest reaches of the Far Eastern Fells, this broad, grassy dome offers a sense of profound isolation. Rising between the Mosedale and Wasdale valleys, its heather-clad slopes provide a steady ascent to a summit overlooking the expansive peat hags and hidden bogs of the Shap fells.

• •The name is rooted in the Old Norse 'jarl', meaning an earl or nobleman, combined with the Middle English 'side', referring to the flank of a hill. It suggests these high pastures may have once been held by a figure of significant local status.
• •It is typically climbed alongside its lower neighbour, Little Yarlside, as part of a remote circuit starting from Wet Sleddale Reservoir or from the A6 near Huck's Bridge.
• •The summit offers a clear perspective on the head of the Mosedale valley, with particularly good views across to the crags of Tarn Crag and the massive, flat-topped bulk of Branstree.
• •As a Synge-classified fell, it belongs to a list compiled by Tim Synge in his 1995 book The Lakeland Fells, which catalogued every distinct top in the Lake District with a minimum height of 300 metres.
• •The terrain between the summit and Wasdale Head serves as a practical masterclass in the many different ways 'dry land' can turn out to be a deceptive layer of moss over deep water.